Sanders
A masculine given name of English origin, derived from the surname meaning "one who makes or sells sand".
Name Census estimates that about 1,265 living Americans carry the first name Sanders. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sanders today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sanders births was 1951 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sanders. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 270,952 Americans
Peak year
1951
47 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,380
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Sanders
Out of the 2,383 babies given the name Sanders since 1880, 99.7% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Sanders as a male name
- Ranked #6,738 in 2024
- 13 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1951 (47 births)
Sanders as a female name
- Ranked #6,380 in 1965
- 6 female births in 1965
- Peak: 1965 (6 births)
Popularity
Sanders: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sanders from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 282 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sanders by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sanders during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sanders' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina recorded the most babies named Sanders, while Mississippi, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sanders
The name Sanders has its origins in the ancient Germanic language, where it was derived from the word "sant," meaning "sand." This word likely referred to someone who lived near sandy or arid regions.
The name first appeared in written records during the Middle Ages, around the 8th or 9th century AD. It was commonly used in various Germanic-speaking regions of Europe, including parts of modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Sanders was a German nobleman named Sanders von Bonn, who lived in the 11th century. He was a prominent figure in the Holy Roman Empire and played a role in the Investiture Controversy, a power struggle between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor.
In the 13th century, a Dutch artist named Sanders van Hemessen gained recognition for his religious paintings and portraits. He was a prominent member of the Antwerp School of painting and is considered one of the precursors to the Northern Renaissance art movement.
During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, a German theologian named Sanders Heyden became a notable figure. He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a role in the spread of Lutheranism throughout Germany and neighboring regions.
In the 17th century, a Scottish mathematician named Sanders Gillespie made significant contributions to the field of algebra. He is credited with developing new methods for solving complex equations and published several influential works on the subject.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Sanders was a British explorer named Sanders Ives, who lived in the 18th century. He led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and was among the first Europeans to document the geography and indigenous peoples of the Canadian Arctic.
While the name Sanders has its roots in Germanic languages, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and regions throughout history. Its connection to sandy or arid environments has given it a distinct and intriguing meaning that has endured over centuries.
People
Sanders + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sanders as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sanders: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sanders?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,265 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sanders going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 270,952 US residents.
Is Sanders a common name?
We classify Sanders as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,383 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sanders most popular?
The single biggest year for Sanders was 1951, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sanders is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sanders a male name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Sanders in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.